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A Ukrainian Rebel Army detachment fighting in Kiev.
The 1917 Russian Separatist Crisis, also know as the Crisis of 1917, the Separatist Crisis, or the Rebellions of 1917, was a period of rebellion and civil unrest within Russia that saw the independence of numerous states such as Poland and Finland. The event also saw failed rebellions such as in Ukraine and the Caucasus, and it nearly saw the collapse of the Russian Empire as a whole.
Background[]
Kraków Massacre[]
In the winter of 1916, Polish nationalists began peaceful demonstrations for independence as a result of the liberalization of the Russian state thanks to political reforms that have occurred since the reign of Tsar Alexander II. Thousands of petitioners in the city of Kraków marched toward the Krzysztofory Palace, the seat of authority in the city. When the protestors reached the palace, the Imperial Guards mistaken them for an angry mob and the commander at the palace ordered his soldiers to open fire.
An estimated three to six hundred people were dead or wounded as a result of the massacre. The death-toll personally horrified the young Tsar's uncle and regent, Grand Duke Mikhail Aleksandrovich, and he dismissed the commander in Kraków. The incident stirred anti-Russian sentiments across Poland, as many Poles began demonstrating against rule from Saint Petersburg. Following an agreement between Prime Minister Viktor Chernov and the Grand Duke, the Imperial Army was sent to Poland to maintain order and a state of marshal law was declared.
Finnish Home Rule[]
The news of the massacre in Kraków spread quickly across Russia and later the rest of Europe. The killings were used as propaganda for the Finnish independence movement (known as the Finnish Home Rule movement in both Finland and Russia).